Looking for family meal recipe inspiration? The UK & Ireland Mushroom Producers’ nutritionist Madeleine Shaw has answered your questions

[YanaMumsnet]

Lockdown has forced most of us to do all our cooking at home and (if you’re anything like us) after producing endless meals for a not-always-appreciative audience, your creative cooking juices may have somewhat dried up. From finding a recipe that the whole family will enjoy, to balancing nutritious goodness in the ingredients we use - sometimes all we need is inspiration.
To help us get more health benefits from our meals, The UK and Ireland Mushroom Producers have introduced vitamin D enriched mushrooms.

So we’re pleased to announce a Q&A aimed at culinary inspiration for a healthy meal with nutritionist and best-selling cookery writer, Madeleine Shaw.
Madeleine is working on the ‘Mushrooms are Magic’ campaign with The UK & Ireland Mushroom Producers - a partnership of mushroom farmers and growers who are enriching their ‘shrooms with Vitamin D.

Here’s what they have to say: “Vitamin D is essential in supporting a normal immune system, and plays a vital role in keeping our bones healthy, as it works to regulate our intake of calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. Current NHS advice is get 10 micrograms of Vitamin D daily; if you’re inside most of the day, you may not be getting enough of the sunshine vitamin from sunlight alone. Therefore, you can achieve your daily dose by eating eight medium-sized Vitamin D-enriched mushrooms that are available at all major supermarkets.”

Here’s more information about Madeleine Shaw: “Madeleine Shaw is a leading voice on the wellness scene as a nutritionist, cookery writer and a new mum.
Over the last five years she has transformed a simple food blog into a wellness community, inspiring content across her channels, helping her fans to 'get the glow' by taking a balanced and holistic approach to their health. Her delicious, fail-safe, recipes, combined with her nutritional knowledge and health tips, have meant she has become a go-to resource for hundreds of thousands of fans - in the UK and beyond.”

So if you have any questions around family cooking (or indeed glorious isolation cooking if that’s your thing), how to incorporate healthy ingredients like mushrooms into meals for fussy eaters, how to make good family meals on a budget, how to supercharge your cooking with key nutrients, or if you are keen to get an idea how to elevate your favourite mushroom recipe, this is the Q&A for you.

Ask your questions below by the 13th of July and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list). We'll back at 3-4pm on 16th July to answer your questions.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

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The only time I have mushrooms is in an omelette (with cheese) and on a cooked breakfast - I'd love to make a stuffed mushroom - but am unsure what is the best stuffing to add (need both a meat and vegetarian idea - with lots of flavour)

Do different types of mushrooms contain different sorts of nutrients or are they all fairly similar?

Do different ways of cooking mushrooms change the way in which their nutrients are released and, if so, which is the healthiest way to cook them?

I want to grow my own button mushrooms in my cellar - do you know if these taste as good as 'shop bought' - or would it be too much effort - we all love mushrooms on soup, and casseroles

what blondie1984 said. Dietician is a protected title in the UK. Any insta-type can call themselves a nutritionist.

she's done a year's online course in Australia. They don't recognise our qualifications and I doubt we recognise theirs.

yes, @YanaMumsnet - I know you have to pay the rent but really???

I don't make enough use of the wide range of mushrooms now available and stick to ordinary ones. What would you recommend?

My husband is another mushroom hater, so any recipes for non-mushroom lovers welcome.

I'd also like to know about using mushrooms raw in salads etc - do you recommend this? Should we peel them if so? Thanks very much.

Daughter has gone vegan - do you have any good vegan pasta receipes that we could try?

can you puree mushrooms and add them to a meal - I love the flavour, but not the texture (neither are my children)

Any child friendly recipes, that we can make and eat together other than stuffed mushrooms?

How can I hide veg in food for the children?

I am a huge mushroom fan but my son is less than keen! Is there any types that are less slimy (as he says) or ways to sneak them into food hell end up enjoying?

As a family of vegetarians, and two teenage vegans who don't like mushrooms I struggle with how best to use them or make them taste good. DH and I usually just have button mushrooms with scrambled egg but that's about it. I really need to know which ones taste the best.

Does it really matter what type of mushrooms you use in recpies? If i can't get hold of they type it says what are the best 'good for everything' mushrooms!

I only ever use button or shitake mushrooms. Can you tell me a bit about the different varieties of mushrooms and what mushrooms to use for different tastes.

MN, why are you ignoring those of us flagging up that you are mis-representing someone here? The woman is not qualified in anything.

What is the best way to store mushrooms?

How do you best manage the mushroom juice-producing tendency?

Which mushrooms are best for stir frying?

I bought a jar of dried mushrooms in a pretty mushroom shaped jar at a German market in January. They look great on my kitchen counter but I don't know how to cook them or what is the best way to deal with them. Have you any suggestions? Thank you.

Hello everyone, I'm Madeleine and I'm working with the UK and Ireland Mushroom Producers on their Mushrooms are Magic campaign. Thanks so much for all your questions! I understand it can be tricky to juggle busy family life with cooking healthy meals that the whole family will enjoy so I'm looking forward to getting stuck in, and helping you out with some inspiration and tips for using mushrooms in your meals. Here's some info from UK and Ireland Mushroom Producers about their Vitamin D enhanced mushrooms:

'Vitamin D is essential in supporting a normal immune system and plays a vital role in keeping our bones healthy, as it works to regulate our intake of calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. Vitamin D enriched mushrooms are a simple way to help get more of the sunshine vitamin into your diet and are sold in all major supermarkets. Eating just eight vitamin D enriched mushrooms a day would give you your daily recommended amount of vitamin D.'

For more information on the Mushrooms are Magic campaign and cookery ideas you can visit www.facebook.com/MushroomsRMagic/

@mollysmammy

Any child friendly recipes, that we can make and eat together other than stuffed mushrooms?

Hi mollysmammy

Fajitas are fantastic as everyone can make up their own variety. You can grill chicken, tofu, fish or meat, or whatever protein source you want. You can add in some lovely cumin, fajita spices, include a side of avocado, roasted peppers, pickles, sour cream or chilli sauce to make it spicier. I like how everyone can make their own variety, and I like dishes you can assemble on the plate together, incorporating ingredients into your own dish which your children may not like in theirs.

@KoalasandRabbit

Daughter has gone vegan - do you have any good vegan pasta receipes that we could try?

Hi KoalasandRabbit

Yes, l have lots on my website! For example this creamy vegan mushroom pasta: madeleineshaw.com/recipes/creamy-vegan-mushroom-pasta/

I think making a pasta dish with a chunky pesto, such as a pumpkin seed, mint and basil pesto or even making a lentil Bolognese is a great dish idea.

@Bloatstoat

My husband is another mushroom hater, so any recipes for non-mushroom lovers welcome.

I'd also like to know about using mushrooms raw in salads etc - do you recommend this? Should we peel them if so? Thanks very much.

Hi Bloatstoat!

Peeling mushrooms can be difficult and many think you need to wash mushrooms but you can just brush them and have them raw. I prefer them roasted which takes no time at all, you simply add olive oil in a pan, a bit of salt and then just roast the mushrooms before adding them to salads.

@Kiki275

I love mushrooms fried (in butter) but my toddler isn't a fan of the texture. He'll eat them hidden in foods though. Is there another way of cooking them which will give a different texture?x

Hi Kiki275

Grating mushrooms into a Bolognese is fantastic or chopping them up and putting them in a breakfast muffin is also nice as you are eating mushrooms with other foods as well.

@ohdannyboy

The only time I have mushrooms is in an omelette (with cheese) and on a cooked breakfast - I'd love to make a stuffed mushroom - but am unsure what is the best stuffing to add (need both a meat and vegetarian idea - with lots of flavour)

Hi ohdannyboy

For a veggie idea, I would suggest pesto and brown rice stuffing mixed together, then simply put it in the oven and add some cheese if you want. For a meat idea, you could do harissa, lamb and couscous mixed and then stuff it in the mushrooms. Stuffed mushrooms can go with lots of things, you could even make it a more breakfast style and chop up some cooked sausage, eggs, bacon, then mix together and stuff in a mushroom – like a full English breakfast.